FAQs

What is Compass?

Compass is the student information system and related financial aid component at Texas A&M University. The university purchased the system, a software application product, from Ellucian. Ellucianis a leading provider of software for higher education student, HR, and finance systems, with more than 1,600 clients worldwide. Many major universities utilize Ellucian systems, including most universities in the Texas A&M University System. Compass was implemented at the university for its campuses in College Station, Galveston, and Qatar.  Compass features user-friendly forms (screens) organized in handy folders, and will feature robust reporting and analysis tools. Compass offers additional functionalities for faculty and advisors.

Who manages the Compass project?

The Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) department and project team are responsible for the implementation and maintenance of Compass . The team includes technical staff as well as functional staff representing various Texas A&M offices that use the systems. Committees providing direction and guidance on the project include the EIS Council, EIS Executive Committee, and EIS Steering Committee.

Will I receive training to use Compass?

Faculty and staff who use Compass will be required to receive training before using the system.  Your supervisor will notify you when you are scheduled to receive Compass training.

How do I get a Compass account?

If your job duties require you to use Compass, your supervisor will facilitate you getting a Compass Account Request form signed by the Primary Authorizing Agent (PAA).  After you complete the Basic Navigation training, you will receive your Compass account. You will then be notified to take additional training if needed. Most likely you will receive this training in a classroom setting from instructors in your home department. Some training may be offered online.

What can I do to get ready for my Compass account?

If you know that you will eventually receive a Compass account, you can go ahead and take some steps to get ready. Prerequisites include knowing your NetID and password, acquainting yourself with the Howdy web portal, and completing FERPA training. For more information about these steps, on this EIS web site, click "Training," then "About Training."

The Howdy web portal is a companion piece to the Compass student information system. The university purchased the portal software from Ellucain as part of its purchase of the student system. Howdy is the "front door" to Compass. Therefore, employees with Compass accounts need to log in to Howdy to perform functions in Compass. Students and applicants also need to log in to Howdy to perform functions in a self-service version of Compass. The student information in Howdy will be populated, behind-the-scenes, by Compass. The Howdy web portal is located at https://howdy.tamu.edu.

Where do I find Compass in the Howdy web portal?

If you are a Texas A&M University employee and have a Compass account, log in to the Howdy web portal at https://howdy.tamu.edu and click the "Employee" tab. If you have a Compass account, you will see a channel titled Compass that includes a link to the system as well as an icon at the top menu bar for easy access to the system. If you are NOT a Texas A&M University employee and have a Compass account, log in to the Howdy web portal at https://howdy.tamu.edu and click the "Home" tab. If you have a Compass account, you will see a channel titled Compass that includes a link to the system or the icon at the top menu bar for easy access to the system. 

How do I get help with Compass?

If you have a question about Compass, see Compass Help. You'll see a list of topics and email addresses to help guide you to the staff member best equipped to answer your question.